The Bar in Red and Blue
by AKAfreak
Summary: A story that follows the everyday lives of Meiko and Kaito as they work at a bar, either singing or bar tending.
1. Their Daily Life at the Bar

The young woman made her way out onto the platform. The usually unruly audience became stunned by the beauty with short chocolate brown hair, in black and red standing confidently on the small stage. The people in the bar began quieting as the music began and as her voice rang out, the room was nearly silent. Silent; aside from a few dead-drunks shouting unintelligibly in a far corner. She had captivated her audience in a matter of moments.

The young man behind the bar counter was especially drawn in. He set down the glass he had been shining in order to better focus his attention on her. Her… her name was Meiko and it seemed to him that she had the most beautiful voice in the world. His dusky blue eyes stared dreamily at her and he lost himself in the song.

A man hesitantly walked up to the counter, unsure whether it was alright to disturb the young man who seemed entranced by the music… Or the songstress herself. But nevertheless, he was at a bar and he wanted a drink.

"Excuse me…" he said, reluctantly snapping the young bartender out of his trance.

"Ah… Yes? …can I help you?" He muttered. Then he remembered exactly what he was doing behind the counter of a bar._ Oh, right… work._ He thought to himself. "WORK!" he snapped forward, "What would you like, sir?" and saluted for no apparent reason.

The older man chuckled "At ease soldier, I just want some scotch."

"Oh! Coming right up, sir." He walked over to the shelf with the liquor, his cheeks a soft pink from embarrassment, and brought back a glass and the bottle of scotch. "Here you are."

Just as he said that the lovely young songstress, Meiko, made her way offstage. She strolled toward the bar counter and the bartender straightened up. The older man rose to offer her a seat, she accepted smiling her coquettish performer's smile as she sat.

"Would you like something to drink, my lady?" chimed the older man, wishing to impress.

Her performer smile remained as she accepted, "Some sake, please."

She smiled at the bartender as she was handed her glass and he went back to "shining" glasses. Of course, he couldn't help overhearing. After much small talk the older man took Meiko's hand, asking her a question the bartender didn't quite catch. He bit his lower lip warily; he knew Meiko did not enjoy being touched, much less by strangers.

Her smile faltered as she pulled her hand away from the man roughly and she stormed off, taking her drink with her. The young bartender followed after her, eyeing the man suspiciously as he left. He took a few cautious steps toward her and lightly touched her shoulder.

"…M-Meiko…?" he stuttered.

She was silent for what seemed to him like an eternity. Then she sighed chugging the last of her sake. "What is it, Kaito?" she said, at last facing him.

He smiled, his typical sweet goofy smile, he couldn't help it, he hadn't talked to her all day, but then regained his composure. _Should I ask what just happened?_ he pondered for a moment, but quickly decided against it.

"You… You did great today." He said with a goofy grin on his face and a light pink glow in his cheeks.

Meiko smiled, not that overused façade of a smile she used as a performer, but a genuine smile, that lit the red flecks in her mysterious brown eyes. She ruffled Kaito's blue hair turning her head away slightly.

"Yeah… thanks." she muttered, shyly. And Kaito's smile became even brighter as he nearly blushed crimson.

She walked off happily, feeling a slight stirring in her chest. From the Sake?

Kaito was about to call after her,to ask her something more but the bar manager had now noticed he had abandoned his post at the counter. "KAITO!" he yelled across the bar.

Kaito took one last look back at Meiko and made his way back to the counter. "Coming, sir!"


	2. Her NotSoFavorite Song

Every so often at the bar Kaito and Meiko would switch roles, she stayed to tend the bar counter and he would take her place singing for the unruly crowd. Meiko, being the less clumsy of the two, made a better bartender, but when it came to singing the two were evenly matched.

Kaito stepped tentatively into the faded spotlight onstage, as he always did. His bashful presence didn't make a large impact, so he didn't catch much attention right away. And then he began to sing. The sweet melodic tones rising and falling from his lips as he sang every note gently. Kaito's wasn't the sort of voice to captivate in a matter of seconds, unlike Meiko's, his voice captivated slowly, through sweetness, not power. And soon, everyone in the room would find themselves spellbound to the charming young man with blue hair, unsure as to when it had even happened. One sweet bashful smile from him as he sang and nearly all the women in the crowd swooned.

Meiko wanted to watch him sing, but had been too busy with the customers all day. Kaito demanded that she watch every time he performed because it made him feel reassured or something (She hadn't really been listening.) But she humored him nonetheless and said she would watch. She felt bad now since she wasn't keeping her word, but she figured he would get over it.

"Hey, Meiko!" called one of the men currently sitting at the counter, his breath thick with the smell of alcohol "Ya mind gettin' me another beer?"

"Sure, coming right up." Meiko replied pouring a beer from the tap and sliding it over to him. The women were all crowding the stage, so the men decided to move over to the counter, Meiko had a lot of orders to fill. She leaned against the wall for a moment to rest, sighing. She tipped her head back and tried to listen to Kaito's singing over the screaming fangirls, "Can't hear a damn thing," she grumbled.

Upstage, Kaito had searched the crowd several times hoping to see Meiko, but noticed her lolling back against the wall behind the counter, looking bored. (Or so it appeared to him.) He also happened to notice several men calling for her attention, his brows furrowed; he was beginning to feel jealous but continued singing, he didn't want to disappoint his audience, but as he continued singing his voice was rising nearly to a shout, losing most of its gentle warmth.

Meiko glanced over at the stage. "What is that idiot doing now?" she caught his gaze as he was beginning to sing normally again, having succeeded in catching her attention. She raised her eyebrows in a question, he winked. Suddenly another song began to play.

"Oh… No. Not this song!" she shouted aloud. The men around her stared questioningly at her, but suddenly they recognized the tune as well. The familiar beginning tune to Aha's "Take On Me" was playing. Meiko slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand. Kaito walked over to the side of the stage nearest the bar, ridiculously mouthing off the lyrics while singing to Meiko. The women in the audience cheered, but the men weren't sure whether to laugh or cry. Meiko couldn't help but let a smile creep up on her face, soon as he saw it, a satisfied grin appeared on Kaito's face and he went back to his spot in the middle of the stage, dancing ridiculously.

"I don't know whether to take that guy seriously or not. He sure hits those high notes well, at least…" said one of the men sitting at the counter, perplexed.

"Yeah, I honestly don't know either," added Meiko, somewhat embarrassed by Kaito's weird act.

"He's obviously got a thing for you, that's for sure." added another man, downing the last of his beer and walking off. "Well, I'm out of here before he decides to sing us some more eighties songs."

Meiko laughed at his second comment and was left puzzling over the first. She looked over at Kaito still singing his heart out on the stage and merely shrugged leaning an elbow on the counter and resting her face in her palm.

…She really didn't know what to think.

* * *

These first two chapters are sort of just to set the mood, you know, give you an insight as to what sort of things go on at their job. I wanted this one to be funny. I like funny. But I'm not very good at it. I'm sort of aiming for something more light-hearted and not too dramatic with this fanfic. I'm also trying not to portray Kaito as an idiot, it's kinda hard. I don't like that stereotype of him, but I do think he's silly. (And he's scheming stuff all the time. Watch out.) Meiko thinks he's an idiot though... Hahaha

I remembered that I used to listen to KAITO's cover of "Take On Me" when I was newer in the VOCALOID fandom, it made me nostalgic. haha I must say though, sorry, KAITO but the original still wins. I've listened to that one since I was a kid. (even though I'm not from the eighties.)

Next chapter, things start heating up, literally. (Yes, that is a spoiler. ;] )


	3. His Bad Luck

The bar had closed up for the night, Kaito stood outside the back door, trying to warm his frozen stiff fingers, while waiting for Meiko. Despite the fact that Meiko's house was a ways off from his, he waited and walked her home every night after work. He propped himself against the wall, staring up at the sky. The night appeared dark and dusky blue with a few clouds scattered over the stars. It was going to snow, and Kaito hoped it would be sometime soon.

Meiko stepped out the backdoor, panting. "Sorry… Kaito. I… just had to clean up a bit before I left." She had been in a hurry to clean up so as not to keep him waiting too long. Her breath drew out in clouds of white mist with every word.

"It's alright." Kaito replied, smiling. "Let's go." He motioned as he began walking.

Meiko followed, walking by him for a moment, watching as he attempted to warm his hands with his breath. She reached over and took one of them in hers suddenly, stopping him. "I told you, you don't need to wait for me. ESPECIALLY if it's so cold outside!" she huffed.

Kaito stood stiff for a moment, blushing bright pink as the sudden warmth from her hands enveloped both of his. He nearly laughed from delight. He bent down and rested his head on her shoulder, stifling his laughter and keeping his hands entwined with hers. "It's okay. Really, I'm not cold anymore, Meiko." He murmured into her shoulder. He reluctantly lifted his head, noticing a rosy glow on her cheeks.

"Whatever." She grumbled, turning away from him and letting go of his hands. "Fine then, come on."

He chuckled and took her hand again "On second thought, this hand is still cold."

The two continued walking. Houses slipped in and out of their view in silence. They were nearing Kaito's house, though he normally walked with Meiko all the way to her house, he had noticed something. "Look at all those clouds." Kaito pointed out using his empty hand.

They examined the cluster of dark clouds gathering where Kaito's house was, then both turned to each other and came to the realization at the same time, "Smoke!" The two broke out into a run toward the thick smoldering clouds and stopped directly in front of a burning building; Kaito's home. Bright red flames swirled upwards, leaping off the roof and up into the dark blue night sky, interrupting the stillness. There stood a few firefighters attempting to contain the fire and a crowd of curious spectators.

Kaito stared at the building, his mouth agape. It was a small house, and he didn't keep many belongings in there, but it was his home and he wasn't sure what to feel about it being burned down. He also didn't know how it could have started. He thought through exactly what he had done that afternoon, before leaving to work, and quickly came to the realization

"I… I left the oven on." He whispered, staring wide-eyed at the building, the fire now beginning to quell.

Then snowflakes came down, soft white powder helping extinguish the persistent flames, and covering the dark ashes in pure white.

One of the firefighters walked over to Kaito, "You live here, kid?" he questioned motioning his head toward the charred building. Kaito nodded. "I'm sorry. We couldn't do much about it." He added removing his hat out of courtesy.

Kaito merely sighed, "It's alright. I don't blame any of you. And I don't mind, really, other than the fact that I have nowhere else to stay." He shrugged but sudden tears spiked his eyes as he gazed down at the sidewalk. "…And I guess I had a few important things that are gone now." He quickly rubbed them off.

Meiko looked at Kaito, registering the hurt in his eyes. She hated seeing him this way, she preferred his usual idiocy to seeing sadness overcome him (not that she'd ever admit to it.) She grabbed his hand and pulled him away from the gawking crowd, the firefighters and the charred building and kept walking.

"Wait - Where are we going?" Kaito asked hesitantly, allowing himself to be pulled along, but looking back at the remains of his home.

"To my house." Meiko replied.

Kaito looked surprised "What for? I need to go back there and get things settled…" he trailed off, uncertain as to how he would even do that.

"Do that later."

"Bu-but, I also need to figure out where I'm going to stay."

"You are so dense, you know that?"

"I am no- Oh!" Kaito looked over at Meiko for a moment, smiling. "Would it be okay for me to stay with you, Meiko?"

"What do you think?" she said sarcastically, narrowing her eyes at him, while still pulling him by the hand toward her house.

* * *

I wanted to incorporate some funny into this chapter, but it just wasn't the place for it. Oh, well, maybe next one. They're going to be living together now! Hooray! I'm going to have to work hard to include both their lives at home and their lives at work from now on, seems kind of tough.

Well, til next time.


	4. His Good Luck

Meiko flipped the light switches on as she and Kaito entered her house. "It's not much, but you can stay here as long as you need, you got it? Here, you can stay in this room." She said, leading him down the hallway and opening a door on her right hand side.

Kaito peered curiously into the room. Having known Meiko for years now, he had been in her house several times before, but had never entered this particular room. It belonged to her younger brother, Meito, but he had just moved out about a month ago. "Is… is it okay for me to use his room?" Kaito asked nervously.

"Sure. I don't think he'll be returning any time soon, he's found a new apartment." Meiko reassured him.

Kaito stepped inside and sat on the bed. The room was mostly empty, containing only a desk, a nightstand, some drawers, and the bed he was currently occupying. He looked over at Meiko, still standing in the doorway, and patted the spot next to him. She walked over and sat down.

"Haven't you been lonely without him?" he spoke softly.

"Somewhat…" She admitted, reluctantly. She was trying to be nice right now, since his house had just burned down and all. So she figured she'd at least answer him honestly. They both sat on the bed in somber silence. "…Well, it's late, Kaito, you should get some sleep." She said interrupting the stillness.

"But tomorrow's Sunday." He grumbled. Sunday was the only day the two had off from work. "And I'm not really sleepy."

"Well, there's not really anything to do at this hour." Meiko objected, looking at the clock and noticing it was now two AM. She wasn't exactly feeling sleepy either. Tired; yes. But her nerves were too on edge for sleep, she assumed Kaito felt the same.

After a moment Kaito laid down on the bed, stretching and letting out a deep sigh. Meiko figured he was finally going to try and sleep, but as she got up to leave he clutched her hand. "Please… Stay here." He pleaded. Suddenly, he pulled her down to him, wrapping his arms around her.

"Kaito…!" she protested, wide eyed. "Let go!" she struggled, but seemingly had lost all her strength. She blushed.

"Please…" he mumbled burying his face in her shoulder.

Meiko, noticing his tears, hesitantly gave in and wrapped her arms around him in response. "It's okay, Kaito. It's okay."

Kaito's eyes widened, he couldn't believe she was being so kind. His cheeks reddened and he eventually drifted off to sleep, still holding her.

He dreamt of pure white snow and gentle red flames that helped ease the cold and loneliness away.

When he awoke, he saw an unfamiliar room and nearly panicked, but soon remembered where he was and regained his composure. He also remembered what he had done last night before having drifted off to sleep and the memory of it brought a dark red blush to his cheeks. _I wonder how long Meiko stayed with me, _he thought to himself, blushing even darker red. _How am I supposed to face her? _He hurriedly made the bed and stepped cautiously out of the room, he passed by her room and noticed she wasn't there. _So she's awake already_. He sighed and finally headed to the kitchen.

Meiko was standing near the stove frying some eggs, she glanced over at him. "If you're hungry, you're making your own food," she said plainly, acting no different than usual.

Kaito smiled warmly, "Yes, ma'am." The realization had just hit him that he got to live with Meiko, and he was ecstatic. The young blue haired man smiled uncontrollably as he helped set the table and cooked his own breakfast.

Meiko scowled "Why are you so damn happy?" she questioned, thoroughly surprised after what had just happened yesterday.

"Oh… No reason." He smirked, sitting down at the table to eat.

She stared at him suspiciously for a few moments, but gave up and shrugged it off, "Fine, whatever." She said taking sips of her coffee. "By the way, we're going shopping today, Kaito." She added. "I need to buy groceries, and you need to buy yourself clothes and whatever else it is you need." She set down her coffee mug. "Meito left some of his clothes in the drawers in your room, you can use those for now. Go take a shower."

They both finished their breakfasts and cleaned up. Kaito headed over to "his room" (he didn't feel entirely comfortable calling it his) and picked out some clothes from the drawers. Most of the clothes were too large; Meito was taller and more well-built than Kaito. He quickly took a shower and changed into them.

"Hurry it up!" Meiko called from the living room.

Kaito walked over to Meiko, and as soon as she saw him she burst out laughing.

"You…You look like a little boy in those clothes!" she said between bursts of laughter. She calmed a bit and put on a serious face. "I can let you borrow my clothes." She said earnestly, but her serious expression gave way to more laughter as soon as she got another look at his flustered expression.

"Hey! It's not my fault your little brother is so… Mature for his age!" he protested, not being able to come up with any sort of comeback, and also thinking of how it must run in the family…

After getting Meiko under control, the two walked outside, toward the supermarket.

* * *

I tried adding more fluff for this one. That fluffy enough for ya'?

I didn't think I'd get this chapter done so fast, but all of the sudden I felt in the writing mood today. ...Poor Kaito, being laughed at. Hahaha

His dream was kind of symbolic, but I suck at symbolism, so whatever.

Anyway, thanks for reading! Til next time!


	5. Her Terrifying Driving Skills

She glanced over at his shopping cart, a look of astonishment, quickly followed by disgust, swept over her features as she saw the mound of tubs of ice cream he had accumulated. "You can actually eat all THAT?" she asked. Just looking at all of it made her feel queasy.

"Yeah," the blue haired young man answered, all too innocently, a triumphant grin on his face. "Besides, I could ask you the same thing!" he added, tilting his head toward her own shopping cart, which contained at least six bottles of sake. "I'd thought you would be sick of liquor, since we work at a bar and all. Not to mention, it's bad for your health. More so than ice cream!"

"Yeah yeah." Meiko said shrugging him off as she continued walking. She rushed through the aisles picking up a few more items she needed. "You're helping me pay for the groceries! And hurry it up, we've got to get home fast or all your ice cream will melt." She groaned, getting in line to pay.

Kaito smiled, quickly following her. "I'm not paying for your alcohol, though."

The two walked home hurriedly, Kaito carrying most of the things they had bought and Meiko carrying her bottles of sake. "I guess we'll have to use my car to go to the mall." She said, sighing. She wasn't particularly a big fan of driving places; it cost her money for gas, and for all the accidents she happened to get in while driving.

_I'M a great driver, though; it's all those losers on the road that do things all wrong. _She thought to herself placing a finger on her chin.

"I guess we do need to drive there, huh…" Kaito mumbled nervously. "I could drive… If that's okay with you…" he trailed off, not wanting to insult her driving skills directly, but still feeling very much afraid for his life.

"Nah, it's alright I can do it." Meiko answered setting down her bottles of sake and unlocking the door to her house. "Now we have to figure how to fit all this in the fridge." She grumbled.

After a few minutes of playing Tetris with the groceries the two somehow managed to fit them all into the small fridge. They both walked over to Meiko's garage, Kaito's eyes widened the moment he saw the wreck Meiko called her car. It would've been red, had the paint not been so worn and faded, one of the doors was a different color entirely, it didn't look all that safe and Kaito was scared to even sit inside.

Meiko hopped into the car and Kaito reluctantly followed, carefully sitting down in the passenger seat. As soon as the two closed their doors there was the sound of metal falling to the floor. "Well… There goes the bumper." Meiko said, not at all surprised. "Who needs bumpers anyway?!" She laughed, tossing her head back and driving off. Kaito merely clung to his seatbelt for dear life the entire ride.

"Meiko?" Kaito began cautiously as he and Meiko walked into the mall.

"Hmm?" Meiko replied, her attention absorbed mostly by the shops.

"On the way back, can I drive? PLEASE?" he begged.

She eyed him for a moment "Yeah, sure." She said walking into a shop. "Come on, let's go find some new clothes!" she exclaimed pulling him by the arm.

A while later Kaito somehow found himself carrying a large pile of clothes that Meiko said would look good on him, none of which he had chosen himself, and watching Meiko put on a fashion show. She'd go into the fitting rooms to change and then show him what she was wearing and somehow never be satisfied.

"You just say that everything looks good on me." Meiko said, a bit aggravated, while glaring at him suspiciously.

"B-Because… Everything does…" Kaito mumbled, looking away somewhat shyly. He genuinely thought anything Meiko wore wouldn't make her any less radiant and beautiful. And the sleek black dress she was currently wearing… Well, let's just say he was looking away so as not to get any funny ideas. His cheeks glowed pink as she walked back into the fitting rooms, grumbling about who knows what.

He stared after her dreamily, wondering if Meiko felt anything special for him. He certainly hoped so, but he would wait as long as it took. He didn't mind as long as he could stay close and keep an eye on her.

Meiko returned, carrying only three of the things she had originally tried on. "Well, aren't you going to try on your clothes?" she asked him.

"Nah, I'm sure they'll look fine." Kaito shrugged. He stood up, and bravely grabbed hold of her empty hand as he half dragged her over to the cash register in his nervousness.

"What's the rush?" Meiko asked, instinctively entwining her fingers in his.

"Well… I was wondering if we could… uh… Eat out today? I mean, if you'd like…" he trailed off nervously, tugging at his scarf as they both exited the store.

She couldn't help but giggle at his cute, flustered expression. "Sure. It's your treat though."

He smiled unbelievably brightly as they walked over to a nearby restaurant. Kaito and Meiko had known the owners of this place for years. It was a small, quaint restaurant, but surprisingly they had a good amount of business.

"Hey, Leon!" Kaito shouted a bit too excitedly, rushing over to a tall blonde man as he and Meiko entered the restaurant. They hadn't seen each other in a week or so. Kaito and Leon hugged as if they had been apart for ages. Meiko smiled, rolling her eyes. Suddenly, a woman crept up on her, and grabbed Meiko from behind in a futile attempt to scare her.

"You know that never works, Lola." Meiko said turning around to hug the tall lean woman with black hair.

"Hey, so what are you two doing here?" Lola interrupted. "Normally you guys don't come here together." Lola raised her eyebrows perceptively and nudged Meiko with her elbow. "This a date?"

Kaito overheard and blush spread across his face. Knowing Meiko, she probably hadn't realized that he had indeed asked her out on a date. Well, he sort of did. Close enough.

Leon hurriedly showed Kaito and Meiko to their table and dragged Lola away.

"Hey- Wait Leon! I was still talking to Meiko!" Lola grumbled.

Once Leon felt they were far enough he began scolding her "What did I tell you about being nosy? Huh?!" he hissed, trying not to be too loud.

"Well I just wanted to know!" she muttered, crossing her arms.

The two bickered back and forth, their easy to recognize British accents becoming louder and louder.

Meiko and Kaito merely laughed. "Same old Leon and Lola" they said in unison.

Another woman walked up to their table "Why, hello you two. May I take your order?" she said barely audibly, but with a quiet smile on her face. She had long silver hair, violet eyes, and a British accent like the other two.

"Hello, Miriam." Kaito said smiling, Meiko nodded. "Umm… Well, I'll have a steak. Oh! And ice cream. Lots of ice cream."

"I want a steak too and a bottle of wine, please, Miriam." Meiko added.

"Alright. Coming right up." Miriam said, walking off to the kitchen to see what Leon and Lola were bickering about.

Kaito sat quietly for a few moments clasping his hands together nervously. Meiko was staring out the window at the passersby. "Uh… Meiko." Kaito began, uneasily. "I-I have something I need to tell you…" his cheeks burned bright red as he looked Meiko directly in the eyes. Oh, her beautiful eyes. It seemed to him impossible to ever get tired of looking at them.

"What is it?" Meiko said, beginning to feel a little flustered by the serious expression on his face.

"Well, you see… I- I've told you before that-"

Suddenly they were interrupted as Lola rushed over to set down their food, really it was just an excuse for her to be able to listen in on their conversation. Normally Miriam would've handed them their food, and likely would have waited until the appropriate time to do so.

"Thanks." Meiko said, turning to Lola. Lola just winked and walked away, looking back at them a few times.

Kaito hit his head on the table practically crying. _She just had to come over here right now…! _He thought to himself, clenching his fist.

"Anyway, so what were you saying, Kaito?" Meiko said looking over at him worriedly.

"Nothing, nothing… Nevermind." He grumbled eating his dinner in silence.

Meiko couldn't help but worry, he wasn't acting like his normal self for a bit there.

They both finished up and said goodbye to their friends. The sky had turned dark already and a few stars were shining. Kaito drove them home this time and headed off to bed.

He wanted to sleep cuddling with Meiko again, but knew she'd never agree to it, so he fell asleep worn out by the day's events.

* * *

This is a fairly long chapter. Well for me it is anyway normally mine are really short. (sorry about that)

Anyway, so I tried to go a little more in depth into Kaito's feelings for Meiko, don't know if I managed to or not. Also I included all of the VOCALOID1s! woo! A lot of people say they think Gakupo and Luka are Meiko's and Kaito's best frineds, but In my head their best friends are the other V1s. Particularly Leon and Kaito, those two are like brothers. Who cares if they don't speak the same language? I'll go into more depth with Leon, Lola, and Miriam's personalities and personal lives if I decide to have them show up again. (I really like these three, so they probably will be back)

Also, I feel like I need to apologize about how they haven't even been at the bar for like three chapters now. They'll be back there next time, rest assured! I just needed to get all this out of the way.

Anyway! Thank you for reading and all that good stuff. Reviews are greatly appreciated. (I'd especially like some opinions on the V1 Engloid trio)

'Til next time!


	6. Their Feelings

"I love you."

Aside from "Hello, I'm Kaito." Those were the first words the blue haired boy ever spoke to the girl in red. They were also the words he was always itching, dying, to hear in return from her own lips.

Meiko was tending the bar counter again. She wasn't particularly in the mood for singing, and bar tending was usually the more peaceful job of the two. That's what she was looking for; some peace. She didn't mind living with Kaito, but he could be a bit of a handful. Not that she completely minded that either, it certainly beat feeling lonely. Which she had been lately. Meiko was secretly the motherly, or rather, older sister type, she enjoyed having someone to watch over and care for. Not that she would ever admit it, even to herself. Business was slow, so she sat back and listened to Kaito sing, his warm gentle voice echoing in the room. The lyrics made her reminisce as he sang:

" I flip through an old photo album  
And whisper, 'Thank you'  
To the person in my heart  
Who is always there to comfort me  
On clear days, on rainy days  
That smile enters my thoughts  
Even though my memories fade into the distance  
I'll look for the traces you left behind  
And remember you on a tearful day."

She remembered the time they first met. It was their freshman year of high school. The two didn't notice each other at first, and they certainly didn't talk to each other. They were in the same choir class, and the teacher decided on a whim one day to partner people up and have them sing duets. Meiko was paired up with the sapphire haired boy whose innocent eyes and smile contrasted her completely. (Kaito later told her the correct word for that was "complemented," but more of that later.) They introduced themselves to each other awkwardly and the blue haired teenager, Kaito, decided he was already in love with her, and outright told her so. Meiko figured he was an idiotic love-struck teenager and thought next to nothing of his "confession."

As luck would have it, the song chosen for them was a love song entitled "That Wonderful Love Once More." Kaito was delighted that he had a chance to sing with her. Meiko had mixed feelings. Though, she had to admit, after spending some time with him she found that he was actually easy to get along with and that she enjoyed his company. He was goofy and sweet, sometimes a bit much for her taste, but he seemed to genuinely understand people and their feelings, something Meiko had never been good at.

No one in their choir class was expecting much from their odd partnership, much less did they expect their voices to match so well, but when Meiko and Kaito sang together, her powerful, womanly voice mixed with his gentle, soothing voice resounded through the small choir room in perfect harmony.

Meiko got up; the bar was steadily becoming more and more busy. A woman and her friend asked for drinks, Meiko poured them quickly and handed them over, smiling the way she was taught to, the sweet looking fake smile she reserved for customers. She began cleaning some glasses as Kaito was sang the last somber verses of his song.

"Even though my memories fade into the distance  
It's lonely without you  
My emotions for you are tearful  
I miss you, I miss you  
My emotions for you are tearful."

Suddenly, for some inexplicable reason, a feeling of complete loneliness rushed into Meiko and warm tears began to stream down her cheeks. She walked into the small employee room, rubbing her chocolate brown eyes angrily.

"Dammit! Why am I crying?!" she hissed, her irises washed with tears.

Suddenly Kaito rushed in. Meiko was startled, but looked away as soon as she saw him. "What do you want? Aren't you supposed to be singing?" she said, trying to steady her voice.

"Our shift is done for the day. …Are… Are you okay?" There was pain in his voice, in his dark sapphire eyes, seeing Meiko cry was quite possibly the most painful thing he had experienced. "Meiko…" he cautiously reached out to her. Meiko reluctantly let him hold her; he pulled her in, warmly embracing her. He gently lifted a finger up to her eyes, brushing away her tears, and planted a soft kiss on each eye. Meiko's cheeks flushed pink. Her heart beat faster as he pulled in closer.

"Meiko." he murmured near her ear "I love you."

Meiko gazed into his dark blue eyes, their innocence still intact, but something more was visible. "I… I know." Is all she could think to say. He had said those three words, "I love you," several times before, but that look of intent in his eyes, of longing, was something new and she didn't know how to react to it.

"I don't think you understand, Meiko." He continued, "Not one time I have said it, has it been a joke. With every fiber off my being, I mean it. I love you." His voice was so insistent.

She watched his face, how serious he was about this, his cheeks red and his soft breath quickening. She swallowed hard, pulling back from him. "I don't know if you expect a straight answer, but I just can't tell what it is I feel for you, Kaito." She began nervously. "Sometimes I feel like you're just a child who needs caring for, or a little brother…" her voice quieted. "…But there are times when I do feel like I want to protect you, because you're important to me. I just… I don't want you to leave. I know for sure I wouldn't be able to stand that."

Upon hearing such heartfelt words; Meiko's own feelings for him, he impulsively leaned down, his lips nearly touching hers. "I won't leave you..! I'll stay by your side for as long as you need me." His eyes met hers, his lashes were sparkling, spiked with tears. That may not have been a direct 'I love you' but for now, it was close enough. "And I'll make you fall in love with me. No matter how long it takes." He closed the gap between their lips, gently pressing his to hers and murmured "You'll see."

Meiko's breath caught.

There, in the small employee room, crowded with bottles and boxes, in the back of the bar, they shared their first kiss.

* * *

Haha... Ha. I don't know why but this chapter feels so unsatisfactory to me. I certainly hope ya'll like it, but I feel like their first kiss should've been more special and magical with freaking rainbows and sunshine and crap...

Okay, now I'm just rambling. Anyway, from now on Kaito's going to be more direct about stuff in order to get Meiko to love him. So that should be fun to write.

I think I'm just unsatisfied due to being such a sucker for KaiMei. I don't think I do them justice.

The song Kaito was singing was "Nada Sou Sou." I recommend it. It's a beautiful song, and Kaito's cover is lovely. Also for those of you who don't know "That Wonderful Love Once More," here it is: watch?v=KxWU1XftBPk (It's a good piece of KaiMei, and VOCALOID, history.)

Well, thank you very much for reading reviews are appreciated! Really, I love getting feedback.

'Til next time!


	7. His Problems

Meiko sat in the small homey restaurant, her face resting on her palms pensively, and her friends sitting in the chairs facing her. She was distraught about what Kaito had done, or rather, the fact that she had let him.

"So, what's up?!" Lola began, eager to hear whatever news or gossip Meiko had to share.

"Now, don't rush her." Miriam interjected in her quietly stern manner.

Meiko's eyebrows creased in concentration, her chocolate eyes revealing her confusion. She didn't know exactly where to start, she had never been good with words. Or feelings. And what she wanted to discuss required both.

She started uncertainly after a few moments of silence, "Well you guys know how Kaito-"

"Worships the ground you walk on?" Lola added, abruptly finishing Meiko's sentence.

"…No! No, I was not going to say that!" Meiko placed a hand on her forehead. "And he does not!" She added uncertainly.

"I'll go and get us some drinks." Miriam got up from the table a wise, knowing smile on her lips, as the two women began bickering. She walked toward the kitchen, but turned a corner when Lola and Meiko were out of view. She sat down at a table occupied by a very flustered young man with blue hair and an older blonde man attempting to console him.

"What are you boys up to?" Miriam questioned, although, she could easily guess what they were discussing; perhaps, a certain brunette who at this moment was equally flustered herself.

"I kissed Meiko!" Kaito whined, smacking his forehead on the table. "And she hates meeee~!" he continued, a slur apparent in his usually mellow voice.

"Have you been drinking?" Miriam winced at the state Kaito was in.

"A little." Leon answered, "I had forgotten he was so terrible at holding his liquor." He chuckled, patting Kaito's back. Kaito whimpered pathetically.

Leon stepped aside to talk to Miriam. "I take it you already knew about this?"

"Of course." Miriam replied, "But the question is, what should we do?"

"Ya think Meiko would fall for his drunken charms?" Leon laughed, looking over at Kaito, his face still flat against the table.

Suddenly, a mischievous smile appeared on Miriam's face, a scheme brewing in her violet eyes.

"WELL, I think he needs to be escorted home. We can't _possibly _have him walking all alone in this state." She exaggerated, her British accent seeming even more prevalent. She rushed back to where Meiko and Lola were sitting, neither of them really resolved anything and Miriam noticed they had gotten completely off topic.

"We need your help, Meiko." Miriam said solemnly.

"Uh… sure." Meiko said, getting up.

"What's going on?" Lola inquired, following the two of them curiously.

Miriam led the two over to the table where Leon and Kaito were sitting. Kaito slowly lifted his head from the table in a daze, a red welt on his forehead and a light glow in his cheeks from the liquor. Meiko nearly laughed at the sight of him. As soon as Kaito caught a glimpse of his beloved, he grinned, an idiotic but sweet drunken grin. Just seeing her seemed to make all his problems melt away, and somehow made him forget that his current problems revolved around her.

Meiko remembered the kiss and the inevitable blush spread across her whole face. She quickly turned her face away. God, why did he have to look so pathetically adorable right now?

Meiko's and Kaito's best friends all looked at each other schemingly. Meiko noticed the way they were looking at one another and quickly tried to make a break for the exit, but was pulled back by Leon.

"Now now, Meiko." Leon began, feigning concern, "Your blue haired friend here, obviously needs some help getting home."

"That's right. Just look at him." Lola tilted her head toward Kaito. She and Miriam grabbed him, and Leon half-dragged Meiko to the door.

"Sorry, but, it's closing time." They said in unison, smiling brightly. Too brightly, as they shut the door in Meiko's face.

"I guess Meiko IS the type to fall for his drunken charms, after all." Miriam said.

Meiko grabbed hold of Kaito's arm, attempting to get him into a standing position, as many passersby stared at the odd couple. Surely, he hadn't had very much to drink, but he was a mess.

"Meeiikooooo" he mumbled, squinting at Meiko's face as he finally managed to stand.

Meiko placed a hand over his mouth before he could say anything. "I am not in the mood for your drunken babble right now."

Kaito kissed her palm. Meiko grabbed hold of his scarf roughly and dragged him home the rest of the way.

As soon as the two arrived home, Kaito sunk down on the couch, the alcohol's foggy haze beginning to wear off a little. "Meiko" he began, facing the ceiling.

Meiko looked over, but remained standing in the kitchen, putting some clean dishes in their place. "What do you want?" she said, sounding somewhat irritated.

"Do you hate me now or something?" he slurred.

Meiko narrowed her eyes, "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you've been angry ever since I kissed you and you won't let me even touch you anymore." He paused "And it hurts to think that you hate me."

She stood still for a moment, wondering how she was supposed to react. "No, I don't." was the only thing she could think to say, at last.

"Really?" Kaito pouted

"Yes, really."

He rolled off the couch in a fit of laughter. The drunkenness hadn't completely worn off yet.

"Just what's so damned funny?!" Meiko said, somewhat embarrassed. "Are you making fun of me?" she walked over to where he was laying on the floor, grabbing hold of him by the front of his scarf, her hand in a fist ready to punch him.

"Calm down, calm down! …I'm just… Happy, okay?" he smiled, meiko let go of his scarf and he fell to the floor again.

"I changed my mind. I do hate you." Meiko glared down at him.

"No, you don't~!" Kaito smiled up at her, his innocent sapphire eyes looking straight into hers. She sat for a moment, her brows finally unfurrowed as she laid on the floor next to him.

"You're an idiot." She said, staring up at the ceiling. "And you should stick to your ice cream. Dealing with a drunken Kaito is a pain in the ass."

Kaito laughed and turned to look at her. Meiko looked back, questioningly. "Meiko, do you love me yet?" he said, a bit too innocently.

She grabbed a pillow and smacked him in the face, walking away to her bedroom laughing.

"I'll take that as a maybe!" he called after her.

* * *

Sorry for the delay! Been busy working on cosplay and school work. I hope this chapter is satisfactory, I re-wrote it like 4 different times just for all of you readers. hahaha...ha

Their relationship is developing rather slowly, but I think that's the way things should go. I don't like to rush things, so bear with me. Meiko's getting there. Probably. (I don't know, these two have minds of their own.)

Alrighty then, reviews/comments about anything are greatly appreciated!

See ya next time!


	8. Their Voices Combine

She awoke to the shrill annoying beep of her alarm clock and a strange heaviness around her waist. She smacked the snooze button irritably. _Just ten more minutes… _she thought, laying her head back on her pillow once more_. …Wait. Why does my waist feel funny? _She carefully lifted the covers up off her and saw an arm wrapped around her. Looking over to her left, she realized it belonged to none other than her blue haired house mate.

"Kaito!" she yelled, moving his arm off of her gruffly.

"Oh, good morning, Meiko." He smiled sweetly, rubbing his eyes; apparently not even fazed by the fact that he had been sleeping in the same bed as Meiko.

"What the hell are you doing in my bed?!"

He looked around in surprise, fully taking in his surroundings. "Oh… I thought I was still dreaming." He said obliviously, still half asleep.

She sighed and pushed him out of her room. "Go get ready for work." She huffed, slamming the door.

He stood outside her door, he couldn't help but wonder. Sure, he had been drunk last night, actually he wasn't all too sure if even that had happened, but normally, if he had even tried sleeping in her bed, she would have left him with at least a few bruises, but she didn't even smack him. Maybe she was in an especially good mood this morning? …Or maybe…

Well, whatever. For the time being, he needed to get dressed. He suited up and wrapped his blue scarf around his neck, Meiko said it looked tacky when he wore it with suits, but he didn't care, it was special to him.

As the two stepped outside they saw the snow piled up, making the morning light seem even brighter than usual. Kaito's dusk blue eyes shone brightly, he loved the snow. Meiko on the other hand preferred her weather on the warm side, although, they could both agree that scorching hot summer days were the worst. Kaito fell over onto the perfectly white powdery lawn and began making a snow angel.

"You're going to get your suit all wet!" Meiko protested, trying to get him up off the snow. He laughed and pulled her down into the snow with him.

"Lighten up, Meiko!" he said

"Oh, you are so gonna get it now!" she shouted throwing a fistful of snow at him.

Snowballs and white powder flew as they got into a full on snowball fight. Two adults in fancy clothing battling it out on their front lawn, about to simultaneously knock each other out with massive snowballs as they both remembered.

"We've got to get to work!" the two shouted in unison, discarding their lethal snowballs.

"Screw this, let's take the car!" They both hopped in and Meiko sped off, a bit too fast.

They were both freezing as they entered the bar. Their boss walked over to them, a bright smile on his old face.

"Hey, you two. You don't look so good, you're soaked. Get caught in a blizzard or something?" he chuckled; he had a habit of rambling on an awful lot if no one stopped him. He was a lively old man, but also the type who would not tolerate slacking off.

"Uh… You need something, Boss?" Kaito interrupted, before he began telling them his life story (for the sixth time.)

"Ah, yes!" he began, suddenly remembering what he was going to tell them. "It seems we've had a few customers request that the two of you sing together. I was wondering if you'd be up for it."

Kaito and Meiko looked at each other, Kaito smiled, his eyes forming a question. Of course there was no doubt that he wanted to sing with Meiko. After thinking it over, Meiko smiled back shyly in reply.

"Alright, we'll do it." Kaito answered for the both of them.

Their boss smiled curiously, in that moment he had sensed a spark between them. It seemed as though they were so unified that they could read one another's thoughts, but he decided to keep his mouth shut for once, he certainly did not want to ruin anything.

"So then, I'll leave it up to you two to decide on the set list. Don't worry about bartending today, I've got a new part-timer." He smiled, walking away.

They both just so happened to have a few songs in mind specifically for an occasion like this, as if they had been anticipating it.

"But I'm so rusty on piano." Kaito complained as they both got up on stage, later that afternoon. The two had been rehearsing songs all day.

"Nonsense. Quit whining, Kaito. You know you're good at playing." Meiko reassured him in her own blunt manner.

The side of the room near the stage was becoming crowded with spectators as they noticed that the two were actually up on stage together.

Kaito sat at the piano off to the side, poised and ready to begin, Meiko stood in the middle of the stage her head bowed slightly, waiting for the music. Kaito played the opening and Meiko danced, swinging gracefully andwith the jazzy feel of the music. Their voices melted together during the chorus, a perfect blend of power and sweetness. Meiko seductively blew a kiss in Kaito's direction, laughing at the expression on his face as he nearly missed a few notes.

She strutted over to the piano as Kaito performed his solo. He had forgotten how much fun it was to sing with her, the keys flowed easily beneath his careful fingers as they looked into one another's eyes and Meiko strutted back to her microphone. The song ended and the crowd cheered in awe at their stunning performance. Never had they heard two voices combine so beautifully. Kaito joined Meiko at the front of the stage as the next song began. And throughout the day the stage was crowded with people eager to hear them sing.

They finished their final song and bowed gracefully to the crowd. Cheers echoed loudly, either the spectators were mesmerized by their singing or from their alcohol intake, either way Meiko and Kaito couldn't help but feel rather proud of themselves. They rushed backstage and sat for a moment catching their breath.

Their boss walked into the small space, a rather petite looking girl trailing behind him. "You two did a great job!" he exclaimed, slapping both Kaito and Meiko on the back. He began rambling on about who knows what, when Meiko interrupted him.

"So, boss, who is the young lady you've got there?" she asked

"Oh! Why, I was hoping you two would help her out a bit and give her some tips, as I'm quite busy at the moment. She's the new part-timer I mentioned." He stepped to the side and Meiko and Kaito got a clear view of her.

She was small and rather slim with lively wide eyes that somehow appeared very knowledgeable. Her hair was extremely long, tied up into twin tails that nearly reached the floor and, like her eyes, her hair was a color that the two couldn't quite name.

"It's teal." The girl spoke, a rather high, breathy voice escaping her lips as she broke the silence. "The color of my hair; it's teal" she reiterated, giggling after noticing the confused expression on both the adult's faces. "And my name is Miku, by the way. Miku Hatsune. You don't have to tell me your names, I already know them." She grinned sweetly.

Meiko and Kaito broke out of their stupor.

"Oh- uh it's very nice to meet you." Kaito said, bowing his head.

Meiko shook the young girl's hand, smiling somewhat embarrassedly.

"Alright then, I'll leave her in your care." Their boss chimed in as he walked out of the room.

Kaito looked her over once more, Meiko did the same, then they looked at each other, a perplexed expression in their eyes.

"So, how old are you, Miku?" Kaito asked incredulously.

"Uhh… 21?" She answered shifting her eyes nervously to the side. She was so see-through that they almost laughed.

"You do know this is a bar, right?" Meiko questioned.

"Yes, ma'am." Miku answered, smiling sheepishly.

"How old are you, really?" Kaito repeated his question.

"And just how did you end up working here?" Meiko added.

Miku sighed, "Alright, I'll tell you two since you seem friendly at least." She began "But just don't rat me out, okay?"

"We won't." Kaito and Meiko answered in unison, smiling.

"Well, I'm actually 16, but I got a fake ID so that I could work here. I know that probably sounds crazy, and you're thinking like 'why would she want to work here?' BUT I have a good reason! See there's this person I like and they just so happen to be here quite often…" she trailed off, her teal eyes fleeting to Kaito's for a moment. "And, well, I wanted to get to know them better." She finished, staring down at her feet.

"Ah! So that's it!" Meiko smiled, smacking Miku's back playfully. "That's so cute!" she laughed.

"We won't tell." Kaito added, ruffling her hair. "But how does the boss not notice, I mean, you don't look 21 at all!" he chuckled.

"I honestly don't know." Miku said "I think he might just be playing along to help me."

"We'll help you out too then, Miku." Meiko said, as she and Kaito pulled her along out of the cramped backstage room.

* * *

Ha! I finally continued. I've been so busy these past few weeks. ugh.

Anyway, I just realized that I've never mentioned Meiko's and Kaito's ages in my fanfic. Kaito is 21 and Meiko is 23. And they are in mid December, so Kaito's birthday isn't too far off.

So, Miku has now made her entrance. What do you think?

Trust me, this probably is not going to play out the way you think it is. Bwahaha! But that's all I'm telling you about that.

The first song Kaito and Meiko sang was "On The Rocks" it's actually an append duet of theirs by OSTER Project. I recommend giving it a listen.

Thank you for reading! Until next time! :D


	9. Their New Acquaintance

Kaito, Meiko, and Miku sat together at the bar counter. They had cleaned up for the night and the manager had left them to close up.

Kaito leaned in, a devious smile on his lips. "So, in order for us to help you, you need to tell us who the lucky guy is, Miku." He said.

"Yes, tell us." Meiko added, an equally devious smirk on her own face as she spoke.

The teenage girl blushed bright pink; somewhat scared by their devilish expressions. "I- I don't know if I should say…" she trailed off. "You might think I'm weird, and maybe you won't like me or something. I mean, the person I like is at least four years older than me… and…"

The two looked surprised, even more curious about this mysterious person now. "Well, tell us more about them." Meiko urged her to continue, leaning in closer.

"…Uh… The person I like also has beautiful blue eyes." Miku blushed even brighter, shifting her face away from the two of them.

"Aww, come on! What kind of information is that?" Kaito sighed, eager to actually know this mystery person's identity.

Meiko glanced over at Kaito.

_About four years older. _She thought to herself._ I don't know about the beautiful part, but his eyes are definitely blue.__ And earlier she said the one she likes is here a lot. _Meiko began piecing things together and her chest tightened. " I'll be right back." She mumbled, walking off. As soon as she was out of their view, she leaned with her fist against a wall.

"No." She muttered to herself. "No, no, no, no. I am NOT in love with him." She continued, "So why should I care whether Miku likes him or not? I shouldn't. That's right. And I don't! I don't care! Ha!" At this point the brunette began laughing almost hysterically in complete denial.

Kaito looked over at Meiko worriedly as she walked away, but he figured she would just be angry if he followed her. He turned his attention back to Miku "Come on, just tell me who he is already! Please?" He begged, clasping her hands in his.

Miku slowly turned to look into his eyes, and blushed completely red as she fidgeted in her seat. "W-Well, actually - First of all… Uh… The one I like - well – the one I like… is actually…" she mumbled hopelessly.

"The one I like is actually a girl!" The teenage girl confessed, at last, staring down at her feet.

"Oh! …Really now?" Kaito looked surprised. "Is that why you were so worried about telling us?"

"Yes…" Miku said softly.

"Well, don't worry about that kind of stuff." He smiled warmly, reassuring her. "Love is love. And you can't help who it is you fall for." He patted her head.

A look of relief spread across Miku's face and she impulsively hugged him.

"Well, what's her name then?" he asked as she regained her composure and drew back.

Miku sighed, as though a weight had been lifted from her chest. "Her name is Luka." She replied, "She was a senior my freshman year of high school. And- well, I wasn't eavesdropping on her or anything like that- but I happened to find out that she frequents this bar."

"Oh, Luka! I think I recognize the name, she has pink hair, right?"

"Yeah… she does." Miku answered, watching amusedly as Kaito kept staring restlessly over his shoulder to the direction Meiko had headed. "You love her a lot, don't you?" Miku asked, smiling.

Kaito looked at her, his cheeks glowing a soft pink "Is it so easy to tell?" he smiled sheepishly "And might I add, 'A lot' is an understatement." He answered.

"Have you told her yet?" Miku asked excitedly, her teal eyes alight. She just so happened to love romance.

Kaito laughed, remembering practically every time he had. "Countless times." He paused, "I think I might actually be making some progress recently."

Miku looked at him sympathetically, almost pityingly. "Hang on a sec." She said, walking off toward Meiko. "Meiko!" Miku said practically bouncing over to where Meiko was. Miku thought she and Kaito were just such an adorable couple. Not to mention, she just enjoyed meddling in others' romantic affairs.

Meiko turned around, to look at Miku. "Oh hey, Miku. What's up?"

"Meiko, do you love Kaito?" Miku asked bluntly, she wasn't the sort to beat around the bush, or at least, not when she was playing cupid anyway.

The brunette looked surprised by her question and turned her face away, the way she usually did when she was embarrassed. "No…" she said at last, quietly. Wishing to kick herself for being so self-conscious about this.

"Ah, I see." Miku answered incredulously. "Well, you know that he loves you, right?"

Meiko looked surprised, then smiled shyly, her features softening as she thought of him. "Yes…"

Miku nodded her head. She stood for a moment. "Right then." She ran off to the storage room, scooping up her belongings. "I've gotta go now! See you two later, bye!" She called out to them in a sing-songy tone as she darted out of the bar.

"She sure is energetic." Kaito said, approaching Meiko. "So, what were the two of you talking about?" he asked, tugging at his scarf.

"Oh… Nothing much." Meiko answered, turning her face away from him. "What about you?"

"The person Miku loves." Kaito said.

"Ah, I didn't get a chance to find out." Meiko smiled, looking over at Kaito.

"Allow me to walk you to your car and I'll tell you all about it, my lady." He said, holding his hand out to her.

"I don't know, sir, it might be a bit far from yours." She joked, grabbing hold of his outstretched hand.

"For you, my lady, I'll make an exception." He added as he picked up their stuff and locked up behind him.

The two walked out into the cold night air, hand in hand.

* * *

HAH

Did that Miku thing happen the way you expected? I bet not. Or, at least I hope it was less predictable than usual. I love Miku so I really did not want to make her the bad guy. (Also, I am fond of Miku x Luka ;D )

I'm sorry for not posting in so long. I've been away from home.

Thank you for reading!

Til next time!


	10. Her Sweet Side

He timidly knocked on her bedroom door a few times. "Meiko!" he called out. Upon hearing no reply, he was beginning to worry and quietly let himself in, carefully stepping around piles of clothes laying on the floor.

"Meiko… are you okay?" he asked the young woman still asleep in her bed.

Morning light crept in through the gap in her curtains, but other than that, the rooms was dark. She groaned softly, turning over in her bed. Normally, Meiko was up and ready for work before him, and the fact that she had slept in made him uneasy.

Kaito walked over to her. "You're sick aren't you?" he asked, rushing over to her side and placing a gentle hand on her forehead.

She looked up at him, her chocolate eyes teary and her cheeks flushed. "I'm dying..." She exaggerated, placing her hand over her eyes, either to shield herself from the blinding light, or the excruciating amount of sweetness that seemed to be coming from her blue haired friend's gaze.

He wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry, Meiko." he began, "You probably got sick because of the snowball fight. It's all my fault!" His grip tightened around her.

"Kaito! You're choking me!" she coughed, pushing away from him. "And it's way too hot for you to be hugging me anyway." She huffed, sitting up.

Kaito's dusk blue eyes lit up. "So, you're saying that if you didn't have a fever, I would be allowed to hold you?" he asked excitedly, despite Meiko's current condition.

She fell back onto her bed. "Go away." She muttered, burying her reddened face into her pillow. She was really not in the mood for his antics.

"You didn't answer the question- But, anyway, I need to stay home today and nurse you to health." He said, sitting beside her on the bed and brushing his fingers through her silky chocolate hair.

His presence just seemed to make her fever rise, or so she thought.

"No need. I called Meito earlier; YOU need to go to work." She muttered, still face down on her pillow.

"But doesn't Meito work too?" Kaito pouted.

"He starts pretty late." Meiko answered.

"Fine then! I'm just gonna go to work and then I'm going to go spend some time with my cousin because the bar was closing early today!" he huffed, storming out of her room, but still quietly closing the door behind him. He had originally wanted to spend the day with Meiko, but it seems she didn't feel the same. He'd be lying if he said it didn't hurt.

She sighed. Although she would never tell him directly, she also didn't want him to get sick. It was just her way of being kind. Meito was her brother, though, he would understand.

Kaito was grumbling to himself as he walked toward the bar. "Meito is so trustworthy." He mimicked in a high voice, probably intending to sound like Meiko. "Meito is so strong. And his clothes don't even fit Kaito 'cuz he's so puny." He sighed. "I don't even know what I'm saying anymore…" he ran a hand through his hair, and noticed he had already arrived at his destination.

Kaito's boss stepped out just as he was about to enter.

"Oh, hello, Kaito!" he greeted him exuberantly, shaking his hand. He looked behind the blue haired young man. "No Meiko today?" he asked, looking quite surprised.

"No, she's sick." Kaito answered.

"Well, I decided to close up for today." The older man said, patting Kaito on the back. "I think you need a break."

"Oh…"

"You can go and nurse her back to health, ey?" he raised his brows, smacking Kaito on the back a bit too hard.

"Yeah… Sure…" Kaito coughed. "Well, thanks, boss, I'll be heading back now."

Kaito began walking back, thoughts flowing through his mind.

Sure, at the moment he was living with the love of his life, but that might not last forever. He was currently trying to win her heart, but what if a time came where she found someone, someone other than him, to love. If that time came, of course, he would no longer be able to stay with her, not that he would want to be around to see her with another man anyway. His heart hurt just imagining it.

Before he knew it he had arrived at the spot where his home once was. Not too long ago, he had lived in the very spot he was standing; alone. He could no longer imagine living by himself. He no longer wanted to. He ran away from there.

A knock was heard at the young woman's door. "Coming!" she chimed, tidying up her sapphire hair and straightening her scarf; she enjoyed looking presentable, even for strangers. She opened the door carefully. "Yes?" she asked sweetly.

"Hey, Kaiko. I know this is sudden, but do you mind if I stay here for a bit?" The young man asked.

"Okay, Meiko, what's wrong?" Meito asked his sister, he had arrived quite some time ago and had noticed something different about her. "Don't tell me it's because you're sick, 'cuz I can tell something else is up." He said, suspiciously.

Meiko sat upright on her bed, drinking a hot bowl of soup her little brother had prepared for her. She looked at him warily.

"I'm not entirely sure myself." She began, setting down the bowl. "Though, if I had to guess, my best guess would be that I'm in love." She added.

Meito laughed, covering his face and turning away from her.

"Hey! What the hell are you laughing at?!" If there was one thing Meiko hated, it was being mocked.

"Nothing, nothing." He wiped his eyes. "Shouldn't you be telling this sort of stuff to the blue one, though?" he asked, standing up. "Well, I've gotta get going now anyway." He added "Take care, sis." He said, giving her a quick hug. The door clicked softly behind him.

She sat in her bed and all of the sudden her room seemed too big. The whole house seemed too empty, too quiet. And lonely. The hours passed as she tried to sleep.

Kaito entered the house quietly, it was now 12 AM, he had stayed at his cousin, Kaiko's, house longer than he had expected. He knocked on Meiko's door cautiously.

After a moment, the brunette opened the door, looking at Kaito straight in the eyes; searching them.

Kaito looked down at her, his expression contorting; he was desperately resisting the urge to grab hold of her tightly.

Meiko found the answer she had wanted, Kaito's innocent blue eyes never seemed to lie, they mirrored his every emotion, and currently, they mirrored nothing but love and longing.

She reached out to him, tracing her fingers on the curve of his brow, she swept a few waves of sapphire hair out of his eyes. His heart skipped so many beats he thought he might faint, but refused to move his gaze away from hers. Meiko traced the soft angles of his chin and at last, placed her fingers on his lips.

Kaito's cheeks glowed a soft crimson. "Are you trying to seduce me? Because – believe me – it IS working." He mumbled, removing her hand from his lips, but not before kissing it tenderly.

Meiko blushed, her heart pounding as he leaned down.

"I love you, Meiko." He murmured as he kissed her on the forehead. "Do you love me?"

The question echoed.

* * *

Damn, I got this done quick. I am rather proud. hahaha

This chapter just sort of wrote itself, Kaito and Meiko decided what to do and I just sort of went along with it and wrote it down.

I'mnotcrazyIswear

Anyway, we got to see a more defenseless Meiko in this chapter, and a pouty Kaito, but that's not really new.

I hope you enjoyed! Please do leave a review, they always make me more motivated.

Thank you for reading!

Until next time!


	11. Love?

Her first impulse was to push him away. To break loose of the hold his blue eyes had on hers and run.

He only stood there, smiling. It was a sweet, patient smile that quietly asked for more from her, but would wait ages by her side if necessary.

The young man stayed watching as she made her decision. On the inside his thoughts were a mess. He had been so confident just a few seconds ago that she might actually say yes, but as time was passing so seemingly slow his confidence was draining. He could hear the sound of a clock ticking softly somewhere in the house.

Her voice trembled quietly, disrupting the soft tick, "Kaito…" she began, her tone sounded apologetic and the young blue haired man braced himself for the worst, his fingers curling into fists. "You know me. You already know that I'm terrible with words." She continued.

He looked at her intently, surprised and hopeful at the same time. "So then, you don't need to tell me..." He started, blush spreading across his cheeks at the realization that she hadn't said no.

"If there's a chance that you do love me, show me." His heart pounded in anticipation.

Meiko hesitated for a moment, but then cautiously stepped closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She stood on tiptoe and kissed him gently on the cheek. She rested her head on his chest, trying to hide her reddened face.

His dark blue eyes grew wide. _Was this really happening? _ He was ecstatic and the only words he could manage to spill out were "Just on the cheek?"

Meiko looked at his face, he was whining, but there were tears in his eyes. She smiled. "Why are you crying?" she asked, teasingly, bringing up her pajama sleeve to wipe his tears.

"Meiko…" his voice shook. "Meiko, Meiko, Meiko… I Love you. I love you, Meiko." More tears streamed down his cheeks as he grabbed hold of her hands, putting them up to his face.

Meiko blushed bright red. "Stop crying." She said quietly, resting her forehead on his. "I don't like crybabies." she added, smiling at how adorable his teary face was.

He leaned in near her, completely closing the space between them as his lips touched hers, softly, warmly. They drew back and he bent down again for more. His cheeks glowed crimson and he suddenly fell back against the door, Meiko falling down with him.

"Sorry…" he said quietly. "My legs gave in. I guess I'm just not used to all of this."

"Same…" Meiko muttered.

The two sat reclined against the door, Meiko in Kaito's lap and his arms wrapped protectively around her.

"Meiko…" the blue haired young man began, brushing a few strands of chocolate hair out of her face.

"Hmm?" she mumbled, fiddling with his scarf.

It seemed as though the two were already accustomed to being together like this, it just seemed so natural.

"This means I get to call you my girlfriend now… right?"

Meiko looked at him, he could read her expression perfectly well. _Do you REALLY need to ask that? _ Is what it was telling him.

He laughed, squeezing her tightly and burying his face in her shoulder.

"You're going to suffocate me, Kaito." She coughed. She turned her head to look at the clock, it read 2 AM in bold red numerals. "Woah- how long have we been sitting here? You should get to bed now, Kaito." She said, attempting to stand up.

"I don't wanna." He whined like a little kid, refusing to release his grip on her. "I want to stay with you."

"You haven't even changed out of your uniform." Meiko argued. "Go to your room."

"Only if you give me a goodnight kiss." Kaito smirked.

"No." Meiko answered bluntly. She didn't really want him to leave either, but she was never honest.

"Fine, then I get to give you a goodnight kiss." His lips brush hers gently before she had any time to refuse. He got up, pulling Meiko up with him.

"Good night" he said, peering through a small gap in the doorway as he closed the door behind him. As soon as it was shut he celebrated spastically, walking over to his room. He was absolutely euphoric.

Meiko sunk down on the other side of the door. Clutching her heart, she felt inexplicably warm and a quiet smile crept up on her lips.

This was love…

* * *

OhMyGoodness, so much fluff. (Was that too much?)

They're finally togetherrrrrr! Took them eleven chapters. gosshhh

I hope this chapter was worth the wait. It took me forever to decide what direction to take this chapter. At first I was going to put in some drama, but then, I was like, "Efff that. I don't even like drama." So it lead to this. Fluff. Lots of fluff. (I like fluff, okay?)

I'm so bad at KaiMei. gguhhhh

Anyway, thank you so very much for reading! Please do leave me a review. Please? I like reading people's comments on my work even if you think they're pointless. (They're not to me, I promise. :] )

Until next time!


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